Sharing the cockpit for the first time in their long and successful careers, veteran offshore powerboat racers John Tomlinson and Jay Muller ran the Miss GEICO replacement raceboat—a 41-foot Victory-built catamaran leased from Offshore Racing Services and formerly owned by the Spirit of Qatar team—to victory against Alex And Ani during yesterday’s Offshore Powerboat Association third annual Fall River Classic in Massachusetts. Tomlinson, who throttled the boat, and Muller, who handled the driving duties, stepped into the cat for Miss GEICO’s Scott Begovich and Marc Granet, who are taking time off after a tragic accident at the OPA event in St. Clair, Mich., that claimed the life of offshore racer Keith Holmes.

Two of the biggest names in offshore powerboat racing shared the cockpit of the Miss GEICO catamaran at the OPA Fall River Classic last weekend. Photo courtesy/copyright Johnny Saris/Speedonthewater.com.

“I've been competing against Johnny for 20-something years," said Muller, who throttles the WHM MotorsportsSkater Powerboats catamaran with owner/driver Billy Mauff on the Super Boat International circuit. "It's about time we finally ran a boat together. Running with him is fantastic. He's smooth and laid back.

“I liked driving as well," he continued. "Instead of watching my trim, gauges, speed and so on, I got to choose the line through the turn. I got to navigate through traffic. It was like a whole new sport for me."

Perfectly set up and dialed in, the Miss GEICO 41-footer ran flat and fast throughout the race. The Alex And Ani duo of Jimmy Cazzani and Herb Stotler put up a strong fight but couldn’t overcome the Miss GECIO team.

More than 5,000 spectators filled the shoreline bleachers to watch the race, which featured 32 raceboats spread over several classes in the fleet.

Editor’s note: Veteran offshore powerboat racer Johnny Saris covers the Offshore Powerboat Association circuit for speedonthewater.com. For complete results from the OPA Fall River Classic as they become available with the OPA website.